thresh finds remain. president obama's original plan called for increasing taxes on families earning more than $250,000 now $400,000 could be a number on the negotiating table. >> the $400,000 level seems to me to be with about right. that represents about the top 1% of income earners in the country and is they got knee% of the growth and there is some flexibility there. >> reporter: the republicans say the u.s. is not facing's revenue problem. >> i feel like i'm a lifeguard and we have to save as many people from drowning and higher taxes as we can. >> reporter: in the weekly address to the nation, president obama urged congress to do something. >> we can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. >> reporter: congress will try to find compromise. >> i am still optimistic and i think we can avert this and there is enough common sense to come together and get it solved. >> reporter: a combination will kick in on january 1st. if no deal is made, president obama will press congress to vote on a plan c, one keeping tax cuts in place for most americans. in washington, mi

return to work until thursday. the same goes for president obama who will spend christmas in hawaii. that leaves them just five days to get a deal done to avoid steep tax hikes and spending cuts. senators on both sides of the aisle say both parties need to compromise to avoid a potential econom disaster. >> my one bit of advice to speaker boehner is this. you can't pass a bill with just republicans. on a broad thing like this, you need both. >> ronald reagan model is if you get 80% of what you want, that's a good day. we have the same objective of lower taxes. i like simpson-bowles. put money on the debt. tax rate hikes are partisan solution driven by the president but he'll get tax rate hikes. >> some lawmakers say that no deal will get done by the end of the year. >>> the second victim of a shooting in northeast washington has died. beasley was found shot in the early hours of saturday morning. harris was found lying in the road nearby and pronounced dead at the scene. police are offering a $25,000 reward for information that helps them solve this case. >>> a fixture on the potoma

monday will likely not address massive spending cuts but lawmakers are trying to avoid tax increases for most americans. nbc's david gregory talked to president obama about negotiations today in an interview that airs on "meet the press" tomorrow. the president continues to be optimistic but he, i think, in part is doing the interview on "meet the press" because he wants to keep the pressure on republicans to get something done and made very clear in the course of the interview that there's a political cost to be paid if there is not a deal. you can see the full interview with the president from the white house tomorrow morning on "meet the press" at 10:30 right here on nbc 4. >>> some good news for former president george h.w. bush tonight. he's out of intensive care. the 88-year-old's been in the hospital for five weeks now. he was recovering from bronchitis last weekend when he developed a fever and was moved to the icu. the bush family released a statement today saying they're thankful for everyone's prayers and good wishes. >>> tomorrow is the big day for redskins fans. they face th

expected to return to work until thursday. the same goes for president obama who will spend christmas in hawaii. that leaves them five days to get a deal done to avoid steep tax hikes and big-time spending cuts. senators on both sides of the aisle say both parties need to compromise to avoid a potential economic disaster. >> my one bit of advice to speaker boehner is this. you cannot pass a bill with just republicans on a broad thing like this, you need both. >> ronald reagan model is if you get 80% of what you want that's a good day. we have the same objective of lower taxes. i like simpson-bowles. put money on the debt. tax rate hikes are partisan solution driven by the president but he's going to get tax rate hikes. >> lawmakers say they are preparing to spend new year's eve on capitol hill. >> one of the survivors in the oregon mall shooting is speaking out for the first time. the 15 year old was shot december 11th. she was walking through the mall and says the gunman walked right past her carrying what she thought was a paintball gun. seconds later bullets started flying and she

home. for the majority of the country, that means we are going over that cliff. president obama is in hawaii for christmas with his family. before he left he urged congress to adopt a stopgap measure to prevent taxes from rising on people who make less than 250,000 a year. he also asked for a plan to keep providing benefits to unemployed workers. house speaker john boehner is home in cincinnati. he failed to get members of his own party to support his plan b proposal for ending the crisis. speaker boehner says the stalemate and the failure of plan b is the democrats' fault. >> the president -- what the. has offered so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problem and begin to address our nation's crippling debt. instead he wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt our economy. and he refuses to challenges the members of his party to deal honesty with the entitlement reform and the big issues facing our nation. that's why we find ourselves here today. >> the president is scheduled to return to washington wednesday. there's no word if any new talks are planned.

crucial day in the effort to keep the country from going off the fiscal cliff. president obama meets with congressional leaders this afternoon. white house is denying reports to send a scaled back plan to congress. a deal at this point would probably extend bush era tax cuts for most americans and raise taxes on the country's top earners. it could also include an extension of long-term unemployment benefits, spending cuts would also be postponed. house speaker john boehner will be at the meeting today. the house will convene for a rare sunday evening session. house majority leader eric cantor says the house could be in session until january 2nd, the day before the new congress is sworn in. boehner, meanwhile, maintains that it's up to the senate to act first. >>> millions of americans may watch the ball drop new year's eve in times square, but a group of democrats is organizing its own ball drop on capitol hill. they'll launch their countdown today. their ball represents republicans dropping the ball on middle class families should lawmakers fail to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal c

the president. the decision was made at the polls in november. obama has the upper hand and he wants all taxes to go up so he can spend and run this country in the ground. but gary points out, the president wants more taxes only on the well to do. so taxing the rich will not get all some may want but that does not mean they should not pay what they ought to pay, and that is what they paid in 1999. okay then, okay now. you want to pay down the national debt? put everyone to work. that was doing it 15 years ago, and that can do it now. >>> that is our broadcast for tonight. we'll hope you will be around for our broadcast at 1 1:00. i will be here with erica. we'll see you then. have a great evening. bye-bye. >>> from cheating to fist fighting to a drug overdose, the biggest celebrity scandals of 2012. >>> lindsay lohan's arrest. are you afraid your daughter's going to go back to jail? >> dena's appearance with dr. phil. >> in your little shoes. >>> demi moore's wild dancing and the frantic calls to 911. >> she's convulsing. >>> "twilight's" kristen stewart caught cheating on r-pat. >>>

million a year, $400,000 a year, $500,000 a year, something in that area, people above that, to get a tax rate hike on income above that. the president is insisting on a vote before the fiscal cliff. we'll have to see if john boehner goes along with that one and if the obama plan can pass the senate, but there's a bit of optimism, a bit of energy, the body language finally looks a bit more positive. back to you. >> steve, with that improvement body language and the prospects that maybe something will happened, doesn't the fact remain that representative boehner does not seem to have control of the republicans in the house, a group of them standing firm, no taxes -- on a no tax increase on anybody. >> that's right, which is why boehner pulled the plug, jim, you'll recall, on that vote, which was supposed to be a show vote to put the pressure on the president to draw the line at a million. when he realized he didn't have a majority of the republicans, he didn't go forward. what this is now is an old school where you have a bipartisan society, where boehner would be asked to permit a vote, e

. >>> and president obama maintained his position of raising taxes on wealthy americans. meet the press moderator david gregory sat down with an exclusive interview with president obama, and you can see that at 10:30. >>> new today, police are trying to identify a man. the "washington post" reports the victim was behind the wheel when he was shot and then he crashed into a tree. no word on developments for a search for a gunman or if there has been an arrest made. >>> and tonight there will be a vigil for a football player found stabbed to death. there was an arrest. police found stringfellow dead in a fan on friday night in vienna. the two strangers had plans to meet. his former teammate is understandably saddened at the news of his death. >> it was really hard for me, because he was one of those guys in my freshman year, he brought me under his wing and just showed me what to do and what not to do, and just -- it just hurts me to just see him gone like that. >> stringfellow played football in virginia, and he was a sophomore. >>> today a very rare opportunity to see a part of am

white house to avoid the fiscal cliff. with one week to go president obama and congress are on christmas vacation. it will be thursday before talks resume to prevent automatic tax hikes and spending cuts taking effect january 1st. on friday, speaker boehner and the president left town with no deal each making a parting pitch. >> we have asked leaders of congress to work towards a package preventing a tax hike on middle class americans protects unemployment insurance for two million americans, and lace the ground work for further work on both growth and deficit reduction. >> the president's solution of raising tax rates would be red ink as far as the eye can see. and it would hurt jobs. >> if congress fails to reach any agreement in con-- income tax rates will go up on about everybody on january 1st. unemployment benefits will expire for many as well. >>> the u.s. senator arrested for driving under the influence says he is "deeply sorry" for what happened. police say that michael crapo was pulled over early sunday in dc for running a red light. he he was arrested after failing a

his way to say, if you are wealthy and all you're not getting any tax cuts, and it was a defensive argument on a fundamental issue rather than pointing president obama had twice argue in public that raising taxes in an economic downturn would doom the economy. the president of the united states said that and iran on a proposal. lou: two things that seem peculiar. i would love for both of you to respond. i heard a lot of bonn, abou the tea party. the tea party did not exist in this election. it was a non fctor. why in the world would there be so much concerin the republican party about the tea party. why was there an idea that you're better off today than you were four years ago and pick 2008 as the year, he baseline, and it was a lousy year. in point of fact, just about everybody is. what o you make? very quickly. >> your immediate questn, yes, we were better off than the depths of being in a whole. president clinton explained the argument that we were climbing t. by that time election day, th percentage of people is of the country going in their right correction,saw the economy im

: with the nation on the verge of the largest tax increase since toward war 2 president obama called congressional leaders to the white house for one last desperate shot at a -- world war ii, president obama called congressional leaders to the white house for one last desperate shot at a deal. some republicans believe the meeting with the president is really just for show. >> when the president calls congressional leaders to the white house, it's all political theater or they've got a deal. >> reporter: democrats insist the president tried for weeks to get an agreement on plan a, a $4 trillion debt deal, and after the failure of speaker john boehner's plan b mr. obama has taken the initiative to bring plan c to the meeting today. >> this is not for show. this is a last ditch effort by the president to bring the congressional leaders together to try and get at least a small package, small deal together, before the new year to avoid some of the tax parts of the fiscal cliff and to deal with some of the unexcept issues. >> reporter: that package first unveiled by the president last frid

. president obama and top congressional leaders were trying to come up with ways to avoid the tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in next week. keith russell with more on the budget talks that ended about 45 minutes away. >> jim, the meeting started at 3:10 and ended at 4:15. the four congressional leaders left without speaking to the media. with $600 billion in tax hikes set to take effect new year's day. senior advisers said the president was set to make a small offer with the full support of reid and pelosi. nbc news has learned that a previous offered made by the president, the one that involved a tax increase for only those earning more than $400 is off the table. advisers say that was part of a bigger proposal that speaker boehner did not accept. it looks like the current proposal goes back to raising taxes on those who make more than $250,000. the proposal known as plan b didn't work. it will remain to be seen if the smaller plan will. either way the countdown to the if you year could be very costly. >> i'm hopeful that a deal will avoid the worst parts of a fiscal live cliff. >>

. it will extend tax cause making less than $250,000. and it will extend unemployment benefits for two million people they expire today. president obama announced that no one got everything they wanted and wants the house to pass it. >> we find ourself with a bill that does not reflect financial wisdom but the spirit that per veighs this town. the time to confront this is not now but later, we'll do the right thing then. >> some republicans are suggesting amending the bill that the senate passed and adding spending cuts in that bill. this will have to happen by noon thursday when this congress ends and the new one is sworn in or the whole thing starts over again. the sequestration cuts take effect as the tax cuts -- in fact, they have already taken effect. >> thank you. so what do americans think of the job that congress is doing to solve this fiscal crisis? agoal goal went out to find out. >> they don't think much of what is going on in the building behind me. we crossed the river into virginia and the fact that the fiscal cliff deal is still not done comes to no surprise from eve

means we are essentially going over the cliff. president obama is in hawaii for christmas with his family b. before he left, he urged congress to adopt a stopgap measure to prevent taxes from rising on people who make less than $250,000 a year. he also asked for a plan to keep providing benefits to unemployed workers. house speaker john boehner is home in cincinnati. he failed to get members of his own party to support his plan b proposal to end the crisis. he said the stalemate and failure of plan b rests with the democrats. >> what the president has offered so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problems and begin to address our nation's crippling debt. instead he wants more spending and more tax hikes that will hurt our economy. and he refuses to challenge the members of his matter to deal honestly with the entitlement reform and the big issues that are facing our nation. that's why we find ourselves here today. >> president obama is scheduled to return to washington on wednesday. there's no word if any new talks are planned. >>> 9news is tracking the discussions

itself. somehow washington never gets the message. >> president obama said he would push for a bill that would actually -- what it would do is include a renewal of the unemployment extension of the bush tax cuts for middle class americans who make less than $250,000 a year. some of us will be watching the ball drop in times square. we may hear the gauntlet drop on capitol hill. live in the newsroom. back to you. >> thank you, derek. >> we are also counting down to 2013. hundreds of thousands of people will bring in the new year in times square. organizers have been planning all year for the ball drop. wendy gi jlet has a look at the preparations. >> more than 2,000 pounds of confetti are in place. >> that's fantastic. >> ready to be thrown out by hand from buildings and times square at midnight. >> i have seen it on tv. looks like so much fun with the concerts and excitement in the air with people. >> it's magic. >> hundreds will come from all over the world. >> australia, canada, england. >> they will see the waterford crystal ball drop down a flagpole high above times square, lighting

two and this is pure fun. our first category president obama's smartest political decision of 2012. which one of these four choices will our roundtablers pick? was the smartest obama decision to campaign relentlessly on raising taxes on the rich? or was it the early takedown of mitt romney in all those ads last spring that painted him as a rich guy? or the high-tech multimillion dollar back room operation to identify every obama vote and then turn it out on election day? for finally, was the smartest obama decision just bring it in, bubba? >> no president, not me, not any of my predecessors, no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years. chris: was that stacking the deck, mike? >> all good. the one they think wargs the brilliant one was betting that if they spent $150 million in nine or 10 states over the summer, it would pay dividends when the thing got tough. and they bet it when they didn't know they would have money later. chris: to bring down romney. >> as a rich plutocrat. they knew that would help them later if it got tight and it did get t

single american is going to get hit with five new taxes to pay for obama care. here are a few examples of them. small business owners will see individual tax incomes. medicare payroll tax and for the first time ever the government is capping how much money you can put in your flexible spending account. there's still time to save money on your taxes. we are joined by tax attorney marty for your taxes. >> if you want to reduce your taxes now or in 2013. >> how do you decide that? >> you have to run the numbers. are you in the alternative minimum tax rate and you have to really run your numbers and look at 2012 or 2013. you may be a higher bracket in 2013 and may want to take the deductions in 2013 rather than 2012. >> if you want to review the 2012 taxes you say prepaid state income taxes. >> if you pay the state income taxes that may be due next april 159 you have a large capitol gains maybe you sold something you can do that. one of the things you have to keep in mind in doing all of this you have to figure out the alternative minimum tax. there are two systems of taxation. the alterna

raising tax rates would be redink as far as the eye could see and it would hurt jobs. >> president obama says that he will cut his holiday vacation short and try to hammer out the deal with congress. law makers are expected to return to washington later on this week to continue the negotiations. >>> well it's christmas eve and guess what, not everybody has done their christmas shopping. as i am suspecting you are the ones guilty of this. our floor director here a woman, she says she has not finished either. so if you are one of those procrastinators, you are not alone. millions of people are expected to hit the stores. abc2 news linda so is live this morning at the mall in columbia with those last-minute shoppers. i can't believe so many people wait so long linda. >> reporter: i know. i guess it's exciting for them. i don't get it i was done on black friday and i am not bragging but again some people like to shop under pressure. you know macy's and the mall in columbia here they are helping people out. those who have waited this long. the major anchor stores here at the mall will b

over the cliff. the main objective obama had was not a fiscal one, it was political, to follow the victory in november by creating a civil war among republicans over the tax issue, which is exactly what happened. he said the 1 requirement i have for any deal is hiking tax rates. the reason that boehner was not able to do plan b was because it involved breaching the principle, which he did openly and said he was ready to do it. there were conservatives who would not do it. that is not a figure of the party that will be extremely hard to reconcile. if you can not, how you get a deal done before january 1? >> that is essentially the problem the president faced with boehner two years ago. last year. can he deliver? how can you negotiate with someone who cannot deliver on his side? >> you go to people for support, at least three of whom have lost their committee assignments. how can you expect them to come over to your way of thinking? >> they were crowing when john boehner went down, taking some delight, but that was pre- cleared by the leadership. the leadership was with him. this is

cliff when tax heights and spending cuts kick in. president obama and congressional leaders are meeting at the white house right now trying to figure out a way to avoid it. negotiation have been under way for about an hour. steve handelsman joins us. so far no deal? >> i'm checking. so far the meeting continues, which could be a bad sign, can it? sources here on the hill say in today's meeting president obama planned to be kind of tough, figuring that he has gotten the advantage back to the extent anybody has the advantage this close to the cliff and that he'll push hi original demand, the tack rates rise on income over a quarter million dollars. it's a positive sign, the first meeting since mid-november of the four congressional leaders, democrats and republicans at the white house. called by president obama, house speaker jane boehner, the key figure. >> the fact that he's come back and the four of them are at the table means to me we could come up with some kind of agreement. >> reporter: both sides want a deal to avoid tax hikes that could cost middle-class families $2400. i

the press, president obama called on lawmakers to reach an agreement. if no deal is made, it would be the large of the tax hike since world war ii. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton remains in a new york city hospital this morning after doctors discovered a blood clot stemming from a concussion she had earlier this month. now, a spokesperson for clinton says she is being treated with medication and will most likely stay in the hospital for the next 48 hours. the clot was discovered yesterday during a follow-up appointment. >>> same-sex couples in maryland will be able to marry tomorrow on new year's day. state lawyers said because january 1st is a holiday and because there is a two-day wait period for licenses to take effect, they could not marry until january 4th. the state's attorney general now says all of the licenses will take effect tomorrow. >>> 2012 was another tough year for the economy. >> so it is no surprise that lottery sales were up. fox's claudia cowan has a look for us. >> are you going to walk away with it? let's find out u. >> reporter: even when times are tough

negotiations he wants to really tackle tax reform. some people say, raise taxes even more. so that is the pushback that officials are giving to that republican criticism. having said that, they remain optimistic moderately so at this point that something will get done. and of course, president obama sort of continuing his public campaign to pressure congress, not only republicans, but also, democrats who have expressed skepticism about this deal and not getting enough in new revenues. the president saying, look, this is not a perfect deal, not grand bargain, the big deal they had initially hoping for and working on but it is a deal nonetheless and will prevent at least part of the fiscal cliff set to go in to effect in a matter of hours now. >> mike, we talk a lot here about the sequester, the income tax rates for the wealthy and other issues that need to be resolved or one on the table. one that's not on the table, the payroll tax extension is just gone. unemployment insurance extension looks like it's part of this. and medicare dock fix. you have any sense of two other things that obama

obama tax increases are more likely to lose revenue rather than to gain revenue. for example -- >> clayton: we know what happened with president george h.w. bush, read my lips, no new tax and ended up going forward with some of those tax increases to part of the negotiation and democrats didn't come forward with entitlement cuts that were enough to actually counteract some of those tax increases. could we be seeing the exact same thing today? >> well, yes. for example, one big tax increase in the obama tax increase package is the capital gains tax rate is going to go up 58% on the higher income taxpayers. and so now in the last 50 years, every time the capital gains tax rate has been raised, capital gains revenues have declined rather than increased. and every time the capital gains tax rate has been cut, capital gains revenues increased rather than declined. and cbo has gotten it wrong every time over 50 years. and so whether you're deal -- what you're doing with obama is not just the expiration of the bush tax cuts, but obama tax goes into effect as well. the cap gains rate

articulated the conservative perspective on increasing taxes, that we shouldn't do that. you know what obama said three days after a point to listen to you, especially when they disagree? he said i want come at you last time i trump on that. a week later he said i want the folks who got us in this mess to do a whole lot less talking and a lot more listening. you can talk a little bit, but i want you to stand beside mine while we clean this up for you. unbelievable, condescending notion of unifying the country and bringing us together. instead, there came the steady mantra of attack and vilify the other side. no ideas. it was just like his 2008 campaign for president was not idea of the spirit is hope and change, lofty speeches with no substance with the letter. he was going to be the post-partisan president and yet almost immediately it was conservatives are hostage takers. they are the economy. they care only about millionaires and billionaires are not children with autism and down syndrome. now what does this approach? why did obama and his administration common wanting to vilify the other

lawmakers want to abolish the gap tax. president obama scheduled to speak on the fiscal cliff in just a few minutes from now. we will have a good night. here you go. you, too. i'm going to dream about that steak. i'm going to dream about that tiramisu. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. >> present obama expected to speak about the fiscal cliff in a minute now. the president with congressional leaders at the white house. as soon as mr. obama arrives to the podium, will bring it to live. >> there is heartbreak tonight for hundreds of american families were trying to adopt children from russia. their dreams were dashed. >> latimer cutin signed a bill into law banning adoptions by american families. -- vladmir putin sign

key issues such as creating an income threshold for raising taxes. president obama says gop leaders have rejected his proposals to make a comprehensive deal. republicans say they are willing to work together. so what does this mean for you? coming up in the next hour, we'll talk live with congressman jerry connelly and congressman phil roe for a closer look at the looming deadline. >>> still ahead this hour, secretary of state hillary clinton hospitalized. we'll have an update on her condition. we'll be right back. (vo) sometimes the big plan doesn't work. and the perfect life turns out to be not so perfect. you start fresh. new city. new job. new everything. it's exciting, and scary, at the same time. and some days you think, "i can't do this on my own." but then...i went to suntrust. they helped me figure things out. and before you know it, i am doing it... (anncr) at suntrust, helping people shine is what we do. join the thousands who are switching to suntrust's award-winning service. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton will spend the new year in a new york hospital so doctors

the fiscal cliff surrounding himself with middle-class americans, president obama had sounded optimistic this afternoon. it's not done. >> reporter: sources say taxes would rise on income over 4 to 500,000. a big win -- >> keep in mind just last month republicans in congress said they would never agree to raise rates. obviously the agreement is currently being discussed would raise those rates and raise them permanently. they made the president promising tax hikes above 250,000. not 450. >> well, i just think that's grossly unfair. >> a hangup -- democrats want a two-year postponement, covered by the new tax hikes. the president scoffed at republican demand for deeper spending cuts. >> shove only spending cuts down -- well -- shove -- shove spending cuts at us. >> reporter: so much for winning gop allies. >> laughs and jokes and ridicules republicans. why? >>> a bigger question is, will a deal get done? it's sure to kim s. >>> word that a deal was close on the fiscal cliff helped push stocks higher today. the dow surged more than 150 points to end the day above 13,000 form the

-time traffic. >>> in the developing fiscal cliff stalemate, president obama is holding a summit at the white house with congressional leaders later on today. >> so far, republicans have rejected any new taxes even those proposed by house speaker john boehner on people earning over a million dollars. the senate is in session on capitol hill and house speerk barren has called lawmakers back into session sunday night at 6:30. that only leaves just over 24 hours to come up with a deal. republican and democratic leaders in the senate continue to blame the other side. >> i guess w dysfunctional republican caucus in the house, even the speaker can't tell what they're going to do. he backed off of even his own proposal. >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. >> we want to know your thoughts on all of this. what do you think about congress not reaching a deal on the fiscal cliff. do you think it is possible that a compromise will be reached before the deadline. you can share your t

think barack obama did a great job in his first term? do you want significantly higher taxes? do you want the government to do nothing about spending? are you happy with obama care? most would say no. but in the end the choice was between a president who said things aren't great, but i'm going to still try to make them better, and a guy who he painted as not having a plan and not identifying with the average wants and needs of most middle class americans and in the end people decided to stick with the devil they knew rather than the one they didn't. >> so the republican defeat was big, but it wasn't overwhelming in the sense of a repute yags, in your view, of the republican platform or their agenda. >> no, and i think the reason -- look. this country did have the opportunity to once again hand controlled government to democrats. everyone in the house was up for re-election, and yet they continued to givene republicans the majority. they like divided government, and they have to look at the states who elected the very conservative governors who are doing the exact opposite of what

fiscal cliff, president obama's sum -- president obama summoned the house and summit leaders from both parties for a meeting on friday. if they can't reach a deal, taxes go up on all of us. plus, don't forget the impact on your 401k. audrey barns joins us with the latest. >> reporter: everyone involved in a meeting between republican and democratic leaders described it as productive, yet it didn't produce an agreement and there are two days left to get it done to avoid automatic tax hikes and across-the-board spending cuts. lawmakers involved in the white house summit vowed to keep chipping away at the sticking points to reach a deal. while senate minority leader mitch mcconnell struck an optimistic tone, senate majority leader harry reid sounded cautious, warning americans whatever they come up with by sunday won't be perfect. after the meeting, president obama made it clear failure is not an option. >> if we don't see an agreement between the two leaders and the senate, i expect a beam to -- bill to go on the floor, and i have asked senator reid to do this, put a bill on the flo

deal. automatic spending cuts and tax increases will stick in january 1st if no deal is in place. that could throw the u.s. back into recession. president obama and lawmakers are on vacation. congress is not expected to meet again until after christmas. >> i guess we can call in another sign of the times. newsweek will become a digital- only publication in the new year. >> a sad moment. this is its last ever print issue. its features a photograph of the old newsweek offices in new york. the headline reads "last british." the-- "last print edissue." >> a few sloppy snowflakes today, mixed with rain, no accumulation expected. >> will that hold you over? >> no. i am still wishing for snowfall. teachers do as well. a light wintry mix today, not a big deal. nothing to get excited about. why snow excitement factor, 1 out of 10. next weekend we have the potential for little snowfall. let's talk about what's happening right now. areas of rain tracking into southwestern virginia, western north carolina tennessee valley. that will slowly push our way. by lunchtime is when we will see the first a

thursday. that's the same day president obama will return. he's spending christmas in hawaii with his family. that leaves them just five days to get a deal done to avoid steep tax hikes and big-time spending cuts. senators on both sides of the aisle say both parties need to compromise to avoid a potential economic disaster. >>> last-minute shoppers may not have been as merry this year as retailers had hoped. good morning. >> good morning to you. shoppers filled the malls and stores on the final weekend before christmas but many people may have not been filled with holiday spirit this year. research group npd says customer traffic was in line with last year but consumers are spending less. a combination of factors may be weighing on their minds including the tax impact of the fiscal cliff, aftereffects of sandy and shootings in connecticut. 'tis the season for giving but many charities aren't on the receiving end. the single biggest source of revenue for most charities are down as you are big gifts from endowments. the u.s. million dollar list which tracks large donations has found tha

taxes are only days away unless congress acts. one step forward, two steps back. president obama and republican lawmakers have been dancing that waltz for six weeks now, but the music stops when the countdown clock at the bottom of your screen runs out. so where do fiscal cliff talks stand at this critical hour? nbc's kristen welker is on the north lawn and luke russert are both following developments this saturday afternoon. kristen, i'll start with you. any indication at this particular point as to what's happening behind closed doors this afternoon? >> reporter: well, i think most of the action is going on in the hill where staffers with majority leader reid and minority leader mcconnell are trying to conjure up some last-minute deal and this plan would not be the grand bargain that john boehner started initially working on. that plan would have dealt with tax reform and deficit reduction and this will be a much more scaled back version that will deal with the issue of taxes and that is still the big sticking point, taxes. of course, democrats and president obama have called f

budgets and can't get one vote for any of his budgets. boehner will be tip o'neill. obama needs to be ronald reagan. here's what i would vote for. i would vote for revenues, including tax rate hikes, even though i don't like them to save the country from becoming greece but i'm not going to set aside the $1.2 trillion in cuts. any hope of going over the fiscal cliff must start in the senate. not one democrat would support the idea that we could protect 99% of americans from a tax increase. boehner's plan b i thought made sense. to my republican colleagues, the ronald reagan model is if you get 80% of what you want, that's a good day. we have the same objective of more taxes. i like simpson-bowles. eliminate deductions, more rates, put money on the debt. tax rate hikes are a partisan solution driven by the president. but he's going to get tax rate hikes. to my republican colleagues, if we can protect 99% of the public from a tax hike, that is not a tax increase in my book. chuck, maybe you and me and some other people in the senate can find a way to find this on the short term but o

continuation of the bush era tax cuts and a renewal of long-term unemployment benefits. payroll taxes will go up tomorrow for everyone. a big hit for paychecks and sequester the government spending cuts would still happen. president obama blamed republicans. >> we don't see an agreement and now the pressure is on congress to produce. >> the president talked about making social security cuts a nonstarter for many of his fellow democrats. and they now appear to be off the table. just about any deal congress and the president come up with now will drive deficits even higher. >> reporter: and the other thing we'll be watching closely, the markets. on friday the dow was down 160 points. if you look at the last five days of trading excluding christmas, five down days in a row. skidish investors are keeping close eye on congress to see if they can come up with anything. back to you guys. >> all right. thank you very much. checking some of our other top stories secretary of state hillary clinton remains in a new york city hospital after doctors discovered a blood clot stemming from a concussi

really knocked barack obama for a loop and took control of the house, and then everything that happened after that. the tax cut deal, the big fights over the budget and the debt ceiling and deficit reduction, also the bin laden raid and what happened in egypt and libya. and so i'm looking at how obama made the decisions he made and took, and why he took the actions he took in that very perilous time politically, but also explain how this is all done in a way to set up the 2012 campaign that we just went through. he had a theoryf

economy, aren't adversely impacted because people can't do their jobs. >> if there is no deal, taxes will go up next week for most americans. there will be sharp spending cuts and 2 million people will lose their extended unemployment benefits. >>> on "meet the press" this sunday, president obama will sit down for an exclusive interview with david gregory as the fiscal cliff deadline approaches. watch the interview this sunday morning at 10:30 here on nbc 4. >>> a huge turnout at the what's called the nation's gun show in shantilly, virginia, today. thousands of people attended. some vendors sold out. it is marred by controversy following the shooting at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. darcy spencer has our report. >> reporter: it's the second oldest gun show in the commonwealth of virginia and talk of enacting tighter gun control laws is drawing in buyers. >> a lot of people buying the assault-type rifles because they're afraid they're going to be banned. >> reporter: dealer bob starr says he sold every rifle but this one within an hour and 40 minutes on the opening day of t

, which saves money. the president wants to end that. and the third part is $1 trillion in obama's taxes. that's the obama care taxes they hid from you because they're all scheduled to come in after he got safely elected. >> let's go back to the bush-era tax cuts. for you, given your position, that's really what we want to focus on here. you make the point that democrats could have voted before when they had super majorities or big majoritiemajo and that's a fair point. but in part thanks to you, voting for tax increases is a political death for republicans and democrats. that brings me to my next question. i've talked to republicans and democrats who think we are going to go off the cliff, and here's the reason why. if we go off the cliff, everybody's taxes go up automatically. then congress can come back in january and vote for a tax cut as opposed to tax increases. what do you think about that? >> one of the challenges, of course, is people see this happening. they realize the president has not been negotiating at all over the past three months. we learned days and weeks and months afterwards

that obama won the election. >> on taxes, i know it's hard for republicans but the president ran on the platform. 250. no tax increase for people below but taxes for people above. he won. 60% of voters said they were for it in exit polls including republicans. >> wake of house speaker john boehner's plan "b" failure, all eyes turn to senate leaders harry reid and mitch mcconnell and whether they work out something short of $4 trillion grand bargain. last-minute stop gap. attending tax cut for people making $250,000 or less. and unemployment benefits for 2 million people who will lose the benefits a week after christmas. >> it is going to be a patch. because in four days we can't solve everything. >> yet, other republicans note the president short-term fix raises some taxes, yet punt spending cuts until next year. >> i would vote for revenue, including the tax rate hike though i don't like them to get, to save the country from becoming greece. i'm not going to set aside the $1.2 trillion in cuts. >> if the president does return to washington this week, unclear whether he will come back h

president obama accused republicans of protecting the wealthiest americans from tax hikes. >> reporter: the president has asked his plan, which includes tax hikes, to be given an up or down vote. >>> i'm watching your money. asian stock markets mostly closed or traded lower today on diminished hopes u.s. lawmakers can come to an agreement on the fiscal cliff. wall street has a full trading day today. checking the numbers for you the dow starts this morning at 12938. that's right below 13,000 after selling off 158 points on friday. of course over concerns about the fiscal cliff. the nasdaq lost more than 25 points and the s & p 500 was off by around 16 points. >>> real estate in ocean city is moving off the market at a very brisk pace right now. numbers from the coastal association of realtors shows a 25% reduction in the inventory of unsold condos in ocean city. that includes multi-million dollar properties. the data show contracts are up 14% year to date with settlements up 6%. inventory increased sharply from march through november after being flat from last december to last march. r

break. president obama is in haii but may return early to resume negotiations. taxes for all americans will go up if a deal is not reached by january 1st. the main sticking points are still tax hikes and spending cuts. wisdom? >>> all right, sarah. the only thing to talk about right now is the washington redskins. >> how about the first place washington redskins. >> they can clean it up. >> alone in first place after 16 weeks. >> unbelievable. >> if they are still alone in first place after 17 weeks they are hosting a play-off game. >> that is unbelievable. how did they get there? let's take a look at the highlights taking on the philadelphia eagles. flying -- >> flying to the ground. >> he falls there. there is the fumble. another mike shanahan draft pick picks up the loose ball. he is going the other way. he got the thing turned around. the defense stepped up big. london fletcher seems to make a big play each and every week. >> is he color blind. >> the ball was tipped. >> he hit him in the chest. >> the ball was tipped. >> joshua morgan on the receiving team -- you don't k

, represent, car payments all during next year. >> reporter: we've been focusing mainly on income taxes. there is one tax that will rise for most workers. we're talking about the 2% payroll tax cut that was part of an obama stimulus that was passed two years ago and then extended for another year. in this deal, they're going to let that payroll tax cut expire and that will mean that an additional $20 a week out of most workers paychecks will now go back to the social security trust fund instead of into their pockets. juror all right. thank you -- >> all right. thank you for that report. >>> one major issue is the bill does not address is the debt ceiling. monday, the u.s. reached its legal borrowing limit and now the treasury department must work to buy time until the end of next month. the department will suspend some investments and benefit funds for federal workers. still, department will not be able to pay all of the nation's bills on time. this could set stage for another capitol hill battle as congress must vote to raise the debt ceiling. >> new this morning, gay marriage ceremoni

just voting to reinstate a tax cut, that then it sort of president obama's tax cut so he gets credit for that. >> do you have any sense of what will happen around that table today? who called the meeting if there's an agenda or are they going to sit around and stare at each other until one of them blinks? >> we don't have a sense. i'm sure that we will be getting a sense. this is supposed to take place at 3:00 p.m. at the white house. the vice president, president and four top congressional leaders. we don't know what will be said. i think we will likely hear from some camps afterwards. >> if you are wondering what a trip down the fiscal cliff might mean for your paycheck, for your 401(k), look no further than yesterday's dow. at the opening bell, a dive of more than 1%. investors finding little hope for the fiscal cliff compromise on capitol hill. when word came down two sides might be meeting. reversal of fortune. the dow rebounding for a while before finishing slightly lower. >>> a nation this morning remembering the american general credited with orchestrating one of the most lop

when the big tax increases and spending cuts are scheduled to kick in. the fiscal cliff of course. president obama and congress got back to work yesterday trying to find a deal to avid the cliff. there were signs of hope and signs of discouragement as both sides agreed to talk but again, both sides blaming each other for the stalemate. the president will host a summit at the white house today. tara mergener is on capitol hill with more. >> reporter: the fiscal cliff is still a few days away. but business owner don says he's already feeling the impact. >> a lot of our customers are holding back. they're apprehensive. they are not committing to projects. they're not -- you know they're waiting to see that's going to happen with the fiscal cliff. >> reporter: and hope is fading that congress can get a deal done before tax hikes and spending cuts kick in january 1st. >> i am not optimistic. >> reporter: even congressional leaders are skeptical. >> the american people have a right to be very upset with this congress. >> reporter: president obama has invited nancy pelosi, john boehner,

security and slash vital programs for the vulnerable. >> reporter: democrats want to raise taxes on people earning $250,000 a year. though president obama has signaled that he would up that to $400,000 a year in a compromised deal. republicans though, have rejected any tax increases, despite house speaker boehner's proposal to increase taxes on those people earning more than a million. not much has really changed before christmas. we'll see if the meeting today will change any of that. back to you. >> sherri ly reporting, thank you. >>> making headlines overseas this morning, rebels are closing in on the capitol and the u.s. is closing our embassy there. the state department is ordering the american ambassador and all his staff to leave immediately. rebels took 10 more towns in the last couple of days. air force cargo plane evacuated 40 americans overnight. and the u.s. is telling all american citizens in the central african republic to get out now. >>> in russia, president vladimir putin signed a bill banning americans from adopting russian children. the law is reportedly in retaliation f

work through the weekend to come to an agreement. president obama met with senate and house leaders yesterday. all sides say they're getting closer to a deerl. the two sides are trying to avoid a tax hike on all americans as well as deep spending cuts. but the president also said that the american people are growing tired of what seems to be never ending gridlock and partisan bickeri bickering. >> the american people are not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. not right now. the economy is growing, but sustaining that trend is going to require elected officials to do their jobs. >> right now, the plan is to come to an agreement then send it over to the senate for a vote. the house would then take a vote, which could take place as late as january 2nd. the president will sit down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with "meet the press" moderator david gregory tomorrow. the two will discuss the fiscal cliff as well as other key issues facing the country. you can see it right here on nbc 4. the show starts at 10:30. >>> we are just one da

homeless. >> and meanwhile, president obama has been consistent in raising taxes on wealthy americans. and david gregory sat down with the president for an exclusive interview you will see coming up on "meet the press." >>> and police found a body last night around 8:30 in southwest d.c. the victim was behind the wheel when he was shot and then he crashed into a tree. no word on the developments in a search for a gunman or if there has been an arrest. >>> family friends and classmates will hold a can light vigil. >> the 22-year-old. police found string fellow dead. they say the two planned to meet. stringfellow played football in prince william county. >> it was really hard for me. because he was one of those guys my freshman year he brought me under his wing and showed me what to do and not to do, and it hurts me to see him gone like that. >> he played football in virginia and he was a sophomore. >>> today brings a very rare opportunity to see part of american history. the national archives is celebrating the 150 year anniversary by giving achance to see it up close. the pr